Jordan Welch, Farmingdale get walk-off win vs. Massapequa

Jordan Welch took a swing and the ball soared the other way, toward the rightfield fence.

For a regular-season baseball game, it doesn’t get much better than this for the winning team — walk-off homer to beat your undefeated rival and pull into a tie for first.

Farmingdale put up three runs in the sixth to even the score and then won it in the seventh, 5-4, over Massapequa thanks to Welch’s solo shot Monday at Howitt Middle School in the opener of a three-game series.

So the Dalers moved to 11-1 overall and 9-1 in Nassau AA-I. Massapequa, meanwhile, is now 10-1 overall and 9-1, too. It will host Farmingdale Tuesday, and then Farmingdale will be the host again Thursday.

“Now we’ve got to take the series from these guys,” Farmingdale coach Frank Tassielli said. “… Hey, listen, we’re striving for first place. We’d like to get that first seed [in the Class AA playoffs]. Those guys have been the champs forever.”

Massapequa has won four straight county championships. How will it react to it's first loss of season?

“We’ll find out [Tuesday],” Massapequa coach Tom Sheedy said.

Welch stepped up against reliever Ryan Annunziato with one gone in the seventh in this 4-4 game.

“Tie game, just trying to get on base,” Welch said.

Then the ball cleared the yellow home-run line.

“I was like, ‘… I just did it. I just won it for my team,’ ” Welch said.

The sophomore third baseman disappeared amid the happy mob waiting for him at home plate.

“He’s been hitting the ball solidly all year long,” Tassielli said.

Massapequa took a 2-0 lead when Tim Dorman pulled a two-run shot to right off Zack Zarrilli in the second and built it to 4-1 heading for the home sixth. Then Massapequa starter Matt Hannon walked the leadoff batter.

So Damian DiGiuseppe came on in relief.

“He threw a bunch of ground balls and we didn’t field them,” Sheedy said.

It went like this: Infield error; ground single to center by Joel Cartagena to load the bases; two-run single on a line to left-center by Nick Napolitano; infield error to allow the tying run to score.

Dalers reliever Joe Tagliavia (3-0) stranded a runner at second in the top of the seventh. And Welch made him a winner.

“What a rivalry,” Welch said. “What a rivalry.”